In-line controls for cords are standard and ubiquitous for devices such as earbuds or headphones for music players, cellular phone usage, and so forth. Similar in-line controls are also used by cords for household appliances and lighting, such as clocks, lamps, radios, fans, and so forth. Generally, such in-line controls utilize unfashionable hardware buttons attached to the cord which can break after extended use of the cord. Conventional in-line controls also have problems with intrusion due to sweat and skin, which can lead to corrosion of internal controls and electrical shorts. Further, the hardware design of in-line controls limits the overall expressiveness of the interface, in that increasing the amount of controls requires more hardware, leading to more bulk and cost.